The history of airborne military troops, or paratroopers, goes back to World War II. In response to German use of airborne forces in 1939 in Crete, Norway and Belgium, U.S. military planners began developing an airborne doctrine for U.S. forces. The first large-scale use of U.S. military paratroopers occurred during the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. Ever since their use in World War II, hopeful U.S. military paratroopers have had to meet rigorous qualification and training requirements.

U.S. Military Parachutists

The term "paratrooper" has traditionally described a U.S. Army soldier or officer serving in an airborne unit. The Army's three sister services also have personnel trained and qualified in airborne operations, including Marine reconnaissance, Air Force pararescue and Navy SEAL units. Parachute-qualified personnel of all four U.S. military services are frequently trained at the U.S. Army's airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia. In addition to infantry paratroopers, the Army also offers parachute and airborne training to personnel in other career fields.

Paratrooper Entrance Requirements

U.S. Army paratrooper training is on a volunteer basis only. Army personnel also have to achieve a minimum of 180 points on their physical fitness test (PFT), with at least 60 points each on the push-up, sit-up and 2-mile run individual events. The Army's PFT is normally age-weighted, but male and female volunteers for paratrooper training must meet the Army-wide 17- to 21-year-old performance standard. In the Army, you also must be less than 36 years old on the date you start your paratrooper training.

Paratrooper Training Requirements

The Army's basic paratrooper course lasts three weeks and is divided into ground, tower and jump weeks. A hopeful Army paratrooper's ground week is spent learning basic jump and landing procedures. Paratrooper training during the airborne course's tower week includes mastering group jump procedures and qualifying on the 250-foot controlled descent tower. Jump week at Army paratrooper training consists of five jumps from 1,250 feet in a C-130 or C-17 aircraft, with those successfully completing the course earning their silver basic parachutist wings.

Army Paratrooper Pay

Army uniformed personnel serving in jobs requiring parachutist or airborne qualification may earn additional monthly special pay for parachute duty. The Army pays its actual paratroopers hazardous duty pay of $150 per month for their jump duties. Army personnel serving in jobs requiring advanced parachutist skills such as HALO or "high altitude-low open" jumps from extreme heights are paid $225 monthly. Additionally, Army paratroopers must jump at least once every three months to receive hazardous duty pay on a continuous basis.

About the Author

Tony Guerra served more than 20 years in the U.S. Navy. He also spent seven years as an airline operations manager. Guerra is a former realtor, real-estate salesperson, associate broker and real-estate education instructor. He holds a master's degree in management and a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies.